Match report on the historic last day of the 1998 season written by Mid West Radio commentator Willie McNeely. Extracted from The Western People published in 1998
Sporting history was made last Sunday when Achill Rovers won the Mayo Premiership
Soccer title for the first time In their history. Amid scenes of unbridled joy Mark Corrigan
received the cup from Mayo Football Association Chairman Mr Tom Kelly. It was a
fantastic occasion.This island of ours gets very little chance to savour sporting triumphs
of this magnitude. Emigration and lack of employment means Achill lsland has to
continuously strive to even field teams at whatever sport they are playing.
So to lift The Mayo Premiership title makes this achievement all the more remarkable. A
huge crowd, the biggest ever at a Mayo League match turned up at Griffin Park hoping
that the Rovers would not repeat the self destruction of last season when they let it slip on
the last day of the season. They need not have worried as their heroes produced a
performance to match the occasion. It was champagne football. Everything the Rovers
touched turned to gold. They scored five goals and each one was from the top drawer.
Mark Corrigan’s fifth minute free from 30 yards, with the wind behind his back, flew in to
the top corner. Ray McNamara's surging run from midfield before unleashing a rocket
from the edge of the box would have done Roy Keane proud. Eight minutes and Rovers
fans were in Heaven.
Achill's performance in the second half against the strong breeze, as far as I am concerned
Ranks as one of the finest forty five minutes I have witnessed at this level. Michael D
McNamara pounced for the third and two brilliant finishes from Alan English finished off
Urlaur United, but the goals only told half the story. Each and every one of the players
was playing out of their skins.
Colm Gallagher, who flew home from Holland to play in goal, was outstanding in the
heart of the defence. Dan Fadian and captain Mark Corrigan were Fort Knox like in their
protection of the Achill rearguard. It was the engine room though that this famous victory
was laid down. Ray McNamara home from Scotland had a marvellous match and for me,
his partner Vincent Gallagher was man of the match. Everything that moved above a
blade of grass Gallagher tackled as if his life depended upon it. It was mighty stuff. The
Rovers also had two strikers right on top of their game, Alan English and
Michael D McNamara made sure all the hard work was made to count where it mattered namely on
the scoreboard. Every Achill player was a hero, Urlaur never gave up on the
day but Michael Carroll’s men had no answer on this occasion.
There were many times in sport when the nice guys win nothing. Personally I wanted
Achill to win for one of the nicest people I have ever met and that is their manager Pat
Francis Gallagher. When Ballyglass took the title away from Achill on the last game last
Season the first phone call we received to Mid West Radio to congratulate Ballyglass was
Pat Francis Gallagher. Last Sunday as I left Achill with the bonfires lighting the hills I
couldn't help but feeling one of Mayo's soccer nice guys finally got his reward.
